Airplane Supermarket

Aircraft broker and flight coach of the Beijing International United Flight Club, Zhang Changyi, stands on the wing of a 'Sting S4' light airplane at an 'aircraft supermarket' on the outskirts of Beijing. Selling gliders, helicopters, and powered light aircraft for prices up to 50 million yuan (around 8 million USD) the joint-venture trading company run by Beijing International United Flight Club is the first of its kind in the city and hopes to open the market to public buyers, although it has sold aircraft to club members for over 20 years. However, low-altitude airplane in China is still tightly controlled and despite hopes of liberalisation for private pilots, reports of secret or 'black' flights are not uncommon and are widely considered to be on the rise. Photo: AFP/Getty

A visitor stands next to a TL-Ultralight "Sting S4" light sport aircraft (R), displayed for sale at an "airplane supermarket" by the Beijing International United Flight Club. Photo: Reuters

Zhang Changyi, manager of the Beijing International United Flight Club, calls the local air traffic control department to check the time of a flight demonstration next to a Eurocopter EC120B helicopter, outside an "airplane supermarket" by the Beijing International United Flight Club. Photo: Reuters

A customer looks at a helicopter at an aircraft trading center in Beijing. Photo: Reuters